Charles Taylor trial

On Monday, former Liberian President Charles Taylor will be indicted at a court in The Hague for a slew of war crimes. If the lessons from other international criminal trials are heeded, the world may receive a signal that national leaders -- especially those from Africa -- are no longer beyond the law.

Taylor is accused of supporting and financing the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), a rebel group notorious for terrorising civilian populations in the course of its fight against the Sierra Leonean government. His charges include responsibility for murder, rape, acts of terrorism and recruitment of child soldiers. If he is convicted in The Hague, he will serve his jail sentence in the UK.

The international push to secure stronger mechanisms of international criminal law repeatedly meets with frustration, either due to the infirmity of individuals or the practical difficulties of mounting cross-border prosecutions. Many die before facing trial, such as RUF leader Foday Sankoh. In a previous trial at The Hague, Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic also died suddenly after four years of painstaking legal proceedings. Other national leaders accused of war crimes have lived out their days in comfortable retirement under the aegis of another state.

Prosecutors face a daunting volume of evidence, with some 32,000 pages of documents and witness statements attached to the indictment. Taylor's lawyer cites another problem: many potential defence witnesses are reluctant to come forward out of fear that UN measures will be imposed on them.

If these obstacles are overcome -- Taylor is 59 years old and in good health -- things bode well for the trial. Chief Prosecutor Stephen Rapp has already stated his preference for quick and focused proceedings. Rapp is looking to limit the trial's duration to 18 months. The original set of 17 charges has also been whittled down to 11.